Hillary Clinton US President Barack Obama, speaking at a news conference Saturday in Panama City, said he thinks Hillary Rodham Clinton “would be an excellent president.”
Clinton’s presidential campaign will center on boosting economic security while casting the former senator and secretary of state as a “tenacious fighter” able to get results, two senior advisers said ahead of her planned campaign launch Sunday.
They provided the first preview of the message that Clinton planned to convey when she launches her long-anticipated campaign with an online video.
Until now, the former first lady has offered only hints of what would drive her if she were to make a second bid to become the first female president.
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Clinton, who lost the 2008 nomination to President Barack Obama, will skip a flashy kickoff rally in favor of conversations with voters about the economic needs of middle class families and the next generation.
Clinton will enter the race as the overwhelming favorite for her party’s nomination. Still, her team has said her early strategy is designed to avoid appearing to take that nomination for granted.
She will contend with Republicans in Congress who are investigating her use of a private email account and server during her four-year tenure as secretary of state.
Should she win the nomination, Clinton would face the winner of a crowded Republican primary field that could feature as many as two dozen candidates.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother and son of former presidents, is likely to run, setting up a potential Clinton-Bush showdown if he manages to win the Republican nomination.
Republican Sens. Rand Paul, a favorite among libertarians, and Ted Cruz, a champion of the conservative tea party movement, have already entered the Republican race. Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is expected to announce his bid to be the first Hispanic president on Monday.
The strategy described by Clinton’s advisers has echoes of Obama’s successful 2012 re-election campaign. He framed the choice for voters as between Democrats focused on the middle class and Republicans wanting to protect the wealthy and return to policies that led to the 2008 economic collapse.
The advisers said Clinton will argue that voters have a similar choice in 2016. Clinton also intends to sell herself as being able to work with Congress, businesses and world leaders.
That approach could be perceived as a critique of Obama. He has largely been unable to fulfill his pledge to end Washington’s intense partisanship and found much of his presidency stymied by gridlock within Congress.
The Clinton advisers spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss her plans ahead of Sunday’s announcement. People familiar with the plans say Clinton will travel to Iowa and other key states to hold small events with residents in the days after the video’s release.
By campaigning heavily